The Indian Army is considering establishing a permanent “adversarial force” to support future military drills.
Senior army leaders proposed the initiative during the Army Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi earlier this month.
The proposed force is similar to the aggressor red team concept used by other militaries, in which a unit is tasked with studying how the enemy moves and then represents them in training exercises.
It aims to provide a realistic wargaming experience for soldiers to boost their combat capabilities.
Typically, the Indian Army forms a red team from within the force in all combat training, a practice that reportedly does not challenge troops enough.
“To ensure realistic wargaming and training, the feasibility of creating a tailor-made organization to function as an adversarial force will be explored,” according to the Indian defense ministry.
Army Restructuring
In addition to creating an adversarial force, the Indian Army plans to expand its Army Design Bureau (ADB) by establishing cells at the command level.
The organization will be tasked with developing, inducting, and absorbing future technologies for new army equipment in line with the country’s “Make in India” initiative.
At present, the ADB operates at the headquarters level, which means all technological solutions are centrally located in the capital.
Establishing ADB cells at the command level would enable better brainstorming of new ideas regionally.
Lastly, the army is looking to create test-bed brigades that will be specially tasked with trying out new equipment for the service.
The new formations will help ensure improved efficiency and continuity of weapons trials, according to the ministry.
